MA International Development - Urban Development: The University of Manchester

Course description

As the global population shifts from being primarily rural to primarily urban and as there is an increasing interest in urban development issues, this new International Development pathway focuses on the understanding of urban development, including the social, environmental and economic context in towns and cities.

The programme utilises knowledge of planning and development theory and explores contemporary issues relating to management, planning and policy-making. It will explore current debates on a range of specialist areas related to urban development policy and planning: public policy, basic services provision, land policy, shelter policies, politics and developments, decentralisation, gender issues, enterprise development, information technology, environmental change, poverty and livelihoods.

It is designed for social science graduates or for those working in a variety of institutions including central and local government, parastatal organisations, non-governmental organisations and multilateral or bilateral aid agencies involved in the management of development activities in developing countries. It aims to blend theory and practice and seeks to explain policy behaviour through an integrated approach, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Module details

Core course units typically include:

• Perspectives on Development
• Development Research
• Urban Development Planning in the Cities of the South
• Critical Issues in Urban Inequality
• Best Practice Case Studies in Urban Development

Optional course units may include:2

• Civil Society and Public Action
• Social Development: Analysis and Policy
• Poverty and Development: Concepts, Analysis and the International Poverty Agenda
• Micro Finance
• Environment & Development
• Law, Governance and Development
• Planning and Managing Development
• Reconstruction and Development
• Poverty, Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction in Context
• Climate Change, Disasters and Urban Poverty

Career opportunities

IDPM has a large and diverse postgraduate population, including a large number of students from outside the UK (85% of their students are drawn from outside the UK, particularly from Africa, Asia and Western Europe, but also reaching out to Latin America, the Middle East, North America and the Pacific). Many of their alumni have gone on to prestigious careers in the public service or in the NGO/charitable and private sectors, as policy officers, managers, consultants or development practitioners - while others have pursued further academic study leading to a PhD and academic careers. Since its foundation, IDPM has trained over 7000 individuals from 170 different countries.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview:

Applicants should have a good first degree (minimum 2:1 or equivalent). Admission of candidates who do not meet this criterion may be approved if satisfactory evidence of postgraduate study, research or professional experience can be provided.

They accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country.

English language:

Applicants whose first language is not English should meet the following language requirements:

• an IELTS Test score of 7.0 or more overall with a minimum writing score of 7
• or a TOEFL Test (Paper-based) score of 600 or more with a minimum score in Test of Written English of 5
• or a TOEFL Test (Computer-based) score of 250 or more with a minimum essay rating of 5
• or a TOEFL Test (Internet based) score of 100 or more with a minimum writing score of 25
• an NCUK PMP EAP Grade A

Applicants whose language of academic instruction and examination has been English, for at least 1 year prior to commencing their studies, may be exempted from this requirement, at the discretion of the Institute.